The next day, Mendax had the meeting lined up. This was out of consideration. He figured the quicker it was, the less pain it would cause.
FWOMP!
Aureum threw a pillow at him when he told her the schedule.
"Are you insane?!" She said.
They had to pack everything up, buy anything Vitreum needed to be ready, and be ready for the actual meeting in one night and the morning.
As much as Aureum was live and let live for her own journeys, letting a kid go traveling without a bedroll at the very least wasn't allowed. Even by her standards.
Mendax seemed better at planning than this, but Aureum hardly had time to guess at what he was thinking. She supposed events had caught up to him as well and carried on.
No one was allowed time to panic because there was too much to be done. After all the hectic hours of packing, a couple hours of sleep followed by a morning shopping journey, all that was left was a choice that paralyzed her. Aureum could go with the most comfortable outfit, the leggings and tunic, to match with the spear, or the nicest dress she owned.
Aureum frowned down at the outfits laid onto the bed.
On one hand, the comfortable outfit was a vote of no confidence of this Aes. She would be ready, as much as that was, for combat. The dress would make her look more confident for negotiating, and perhaps put Vitreum more at ease.
Knowing my luck recently, I'll regret whichever I choose.
She'd much rather regret being ready to fight than being ready to bargain.
She nodded and grabbed the leggings and tunic. As she pulled the things over her head, Vitreum stood by the door.
"I'm ready!" The girl said.
She was packed and had her kitten in a basket. Mendax had her main bag downstairs, but the girl still had a small bag with snacks.
The bag with snacks probably hadn't been necessary.
But she'd gotten a deal on it, and was cute with little kitty embroidered on it.
"Oh no, you're not." Aureum pulled the child back from the door as she spoke.
Aureum brushed Vitreum's hair from being a rat's mess and used the green ribbon to tie it into a low ponytail. Nothing fancy, but at least Vitreum looked tidy.
She had on a pretty little dress, one of the few saved from her childish adventures. The only thing that ruined it was her expression, as sour as a lemon.
"Why do you get to dress comfy but I don't?"
"Because I'm not going there to make a good first impression."
"Why do I have to?"
The never-ending stream of questions. Will I miss this?
Aureum couldn't imagine it.
"Because you're going back to Lapis with him, so the trip will be better if you can be friendly with each other."
"Ugh."
"Do it to get home," Aureum said. "Try to smile."
Aureum pinched her nose as she spoke. The girl only soured more.
Mendax met them downstairs. They left only a little late, which was a blessing considering the lack of a warning.
The setting Mendax had chosen was thankfully not the Burned Dragon's hoard. Aureum had seen enough of that gaudy place and its clientele. It was an establishment with tables on the side of the street, the better to enjoy the pleasant weather with.
It was a sunny day with a blue sky clear enough to fall into. The heat was pleasant enough with the accompanying breeze.
Despite arriving late, it seemed Aes hadn't arrived first. How rude. They chose their seats around a long table.
They didn't have long to wait. Aureum could feel it when this Aes arrived.
The regret for choosing her spear was immediate.
An aura of weight and pressure filled the street. It reminded her of a smooth stone one finds in a riverbed, cold and worn. She found herself in a sweat. Only her innate audacity allowed her to look at him.
The conversation on the street died down a little as people turned to look at the sorcerer.
He looked to be in his mid-forties, but Aureum would bet he was almost twice that. That amount of mana took time to build. Bronze skin with dark hair, his armor was a white shine.
It wasn't full plate. Just a few pieces of metal covering the shoulders, chest, and knees over leather. If the metal was a common thing like iron, it would hardly be noticeable, but the white shimmer of it spoke of spells forged into it.
The armor was an oddity, but Lapis didn't need to hide their wealth, and who would take it from a man so skilled?
This was no ascended sorcerer. Just one of the many on the cusp of it. Without ascension, that tipping point of the pearl becoming its own source of mana to feed the body forever, there was no immortality. Despite how slowly, he would age.
Aureum gritted her teeth.
Being next to an ancient dragon or a young dragon, it makes no difference to us.
If it came to a fight, Aureum wasn't certain they could even run away. She'd been betting on Mendax's strength to at least buy time.
She glanced at him.
He gazed at Aes with no indication of worry. Then he grinned.
Does he ever do that when he's actually happy?
Aureum looked back ahead.
Aes had spotted them in the meantime. He headed towards their sitting spot with a serious expression.
"Mr. Mendax," he said, nodding, "I'm sorry for the delay. I am not familiar with the city. Can I presume that the girl is Miss Vitreum? And this must be Mrs. Aureum."
"Mr. Mendax?" Aureum said.
"Mrs?" Mendax said.
"And it's his majesty, Snowfluffles!" Vitreum said.
"Oh," Aes' eyes darted between them. He decided to focus on the kid.
He kneeled down.
"What a cute—uh, majestic kitten! His name is Snowfluffles?"
Snowfluffles had momentarily been allowed out of the basket. Vitreum puffed herself out a bit with the closer attention.
"He's the king of the cats! That's how cute he is!"
"So cute indeed! Adorable as fluffy snow. His name is perfect for his majesty."
He stood up again.
"I understand Miss Aureum was the one who notified Lord Maledic of the trouble his grandchildren were in. You have his personal thanks. Alongside this letter."
He pulled a letter smoothly out of a satchel on his belt.
Aureum opened it up. A wall of script that crawled across the letter met her. She skimmed through the long thing. It had some lengthy words of ostentatious gratitude and officious apology for the delay.
More importantly, it mentioned an investigation into things and apologized this time for how his absence had allowed his family to become so out of control.
Aes took a seat himself as she read.
"I must warn you about the second page—
On the second page, a stack of drawn coins began shimmering. As they slid solid from the letter and began raining down onto her feet, Aureum read what little words were on the second page.
"If ever you are in Lapis, I will offer up much more in gratitude, but for now, take this small gift."
Aes picked them up as they rained down. Not with his hands, but with his mana. Coins were apparently close enough to his mana element to control. They landed into clean stacks on his callused hands, and he handed them to her.
"Let me reinforce Lord Maledic's gratitude to you, Miss Aureum. We had no idea of one of our children's predicament until you told us."
Aureum shoved the stacked coins away from her, scattering them across the table.
It infuriated her, this use of wealth here.
"Are you aware of Vitreum's true heritage?"
Mendax grabbed her hand and fiercely squeezed it under the table.
I probably shouldn't have mentioned that.
Aureum clamped her mouth shut. It would only make Vitreum suffer if she kept poking, after all.
Mendax slid the money into his bag.
"She's truly a child of Lapis," Mendax said. "Is this gratitude all you have to offer?"
His display might cover for the secret Aureum had stabbed at.
"I'm truly priceless!" Vitreum added, puffing up.
Aes took his time to respond. An expression of momentary confusion smoothed out before he spoke.
"In the letter, Lord Maledic mentions there was an investigation. We discovered many… many things in the investigation. Lord Maledic is not the kind of man to continue to turn a blind eye to a child's plight."
"So, I'm still going home?" Vitreum spoke up.
"Yes, we are taking you to Lord Maledic."
"But what about my mother?"
"…"
Aes was at a bit of a loss. Aureum and Mendax waited. They had no say, after all.
"Maybe—
Not that Aureum could wait for long. She was cut off by Aes speaking, her timing being bad.
"I'm certain she'll come visit you, but at first you'll need to come live with your great-grandfather for a bit as he sorts out your home. Things are busy back at your mother's house for now."
"…All right." Vitreum gave a soft reply.
The sad girl left the three adults at a loss.
"Let's!" Aureum said loudly and suddenly. "Do something fun!"
She glanced over at Mendax, hoping he would smooth her awful transition over. He gave that amused narrowing of the eyes, and she smiled.
"Since this is your last day in Fluentem with us, let's make it a fun one. Vitreum, what do you want to do?"
Yes! That's perfect!
"I want to eat honey cake!"
Aureum looked at her askance.
Is that it?! Aren't you supposed to be spoiled?
Honey cake was hardly the lap of luxury. But it was sweet. That was enough for a child.
This one was on Aureum. How was a kid supposed to plan an itinerary for the evening?
"We can definitely start the rest of the day with some honey cake," Mendax said.
"Yes!" Vitreum said.
"After that… what is there to do in Fluentem other than the university?" Mendax said.
Ah.
There had to be something, but the University was the shining star for modern Fluentem. It overshadowed any other monuments and achievements.
"I heard that there was a local theatre converted from an old boathouse," Aes said.
"Ohh," Aureum said.
"No! I don't want to watch some dumb play!"
"Plays aren't dumb," Aureum said to Vitreum, but as she continued, she spoke to the rest of the table. "But yeah, making a kid sit in one place for a long time might not be fun. Do you… want to walk along the river Vena?"
Vitreum squinted. Aureum could see her considering it.
"Mendax can give you a piggyback ride!"
"Fine!"
So after having some honey cake at the restaurant, they walked along the river Vena in the early evening. Unable to break their desire to go against Vitreum's wishes for the day, or to entice her into more mature pastimes, the unlikely group sang nursery rhymes together before playing tag.
The more competitive game would have ended immediately if two of the players had tried their best. But neither Mendax or Aes did. Instead, they tried very hard to look like they were trying their best to catch her and failing every time.
"You've slain me!" Aes said as Vitreum touched him.
He fell dramatically to the ground with an arm raised. It twitched erratically before flopping limp like the rest of him. Vitreum stopped, watching his still form hesitantly.
She wasn't fooled by his acting, but that had become part of the game, too.
"I arise!" Aes said, leaping up in her direction.
Vitreum squealed with a mixture of surprise and delight as she jumped away.
At the moment he would touch Vitreum, another figure stepped in the way.
"Stop right there!" Mendax said, taking the light tap for Vitreum. "I am… overcome."
He also fell over dramatically. In his case, he decided to fall directly onto his face.
"Ahahaha! I have slain your greatest protector and turned him into your foe! What shall you do, Miss Vitreum?!"
Mendax leaped up spectacularly, landing in a menacing pose of bent legs with a hand on the ground.
Maybe they're having too much fun.
Aureum stood nearby as she watched.
Technically, she was also playing, but as the game took a turn for theatrics, she slowly sidestepped from it.
"Oh no!" Vitreum said, as she ran and hid behind Vitreum.
Ah, crud.
Now Aureum was on the spot as Mendax ran towards her.
Vitreum fell to her knees immediately.
"Please don't take me, I'm too young and pretty to die!"
She kneeled in supplication with her eyes closed.
Nobody said anything.
Was that not funny?
She creaked open an eye. Mendax stood before her. He reached out and poked her on the nose.
"Agh! Not like this!"
She fell back with her hand over her heart.
"Nooooo—Kek, hehehe."
Vitreum hid her giggle behind a hand.
Aureum waited for the giggles to come closer. Then she pounced and grabbed Vitreum in one go.
"Got you!"
Vitreum laughed as Aureum spun her around. She fell with Vitreum on top of her. By this point, one of Vitreum's few nice dresses was muddied.
There would be a lot of other dresses for Vitreum through if the rumors of the Lapis' wealth were to be believed, and this moment was the only one of its specific kind. It wasn't worth worrying about.
Aureum patted the little girl on the head.
"You got the little monster, it seems," Mendax said, coming over. "Do you want to chase us again now, miss monster?"
He was mocking the way Aes spoke so politely.
"No," Vitreum said. "I'm tired."
As much fun as they had had, all three released a simultaneous breath.
"Well, we can sit under that tree over there, maybe watch the ships go by," Aureum said.
"That sounds nice."
All that running had pooped out this little daisy.
The evening sun lit the river like gold as the boats' sails were like white butterfly wings. A bit of eye spy and the girl was done. She drifted into a nap.
The conversation dropped from the game and became somewhat serious but light murmurs.
"Shall I take Miss Vitreum while she's asleep?"
"That might be for the best."
"If you hurt her, even if it takes all my life, I'm coming for you."
"I'll guard the little miss with my life."
"Even against your lord?"
"…my lord wishes no harm for her."
"That'll have to be good enough. For now."
Then it was silence. The boats sailed up the Vena, the grass from the riverbank swaying in the breeze, and no one moved to do anything.